Flexible plastic surface coverings have been produced for a very long time. This type of surface covering is suitable for covering surfaces, such as, for example, floors, walls or ceilings of the interior of buildings, such as, for example, offices, hospitals or homes. Flexible plastic surface coverings can be applied to surfaces by placing an adhesive underneath the surface coverings. This type of covering is typically a composite product, comprising various layers. Flexible plastic surface coverings generally comprise a substrate layer of a thermoplastic material which is often reinforced with a textile material embedded in the mass of the thermoplastic material. Also, in order to improve the level of comfort and to provide the covering with insulation and flexibility qualities, the reverse surface of the covering may be associated with a foamed backing. Furthermore, the upper surface is covered with a finishing layer which provides the covering with specific properties such as resistance to UV rays, dirt deposit, scratches, wear, abrasion, etc. The coverings may be produced using different techniques such as coating, calendering, pressing, etc. In order to create the covering using the coating technique a surface layer is produced by impregnating a reinforcement textile structure, which is generally unwoven, the structure very often being fibreglass based, although it can also have a synthetic polymer base, such as polyester, polyamide or polypropylene fibres. These coatings are produced from a plastisol composition, more often than not PVC based, although it can also be acrylic, polyurethane or polyolefin based to provide a smooth, flat surface. Once the surface layer has been produced, one or more top layers are created that are intended to provide the decorative and wear-and-tear characteristics. A compact layer can be provided at the reverse surface to ensure the finish. Providing a mechanical or chemical foam-based backing layer at the reverse surface confers acoustic and thermal insulation and/or comfort. General examples of quality deficiencies of flexible plastic surface coverings include excessive curling and/or indentation, which should be avoided.
EP 1 360 366 concerns a floor covering produced by coating and comprising a thermoplastic-based substrate layer structure, in particular plasticized PVC, reinforced with a textile reinforcement, optionally combined with a foam backing and whereof the visible surface consists of a surface coating providing decoration and wear resistance to the product. The invention is characterised in that the back surface designed to be in contact with a floor, consists of a textile web, the bonding between the textile structure and the supporting back surface being produced by means of an additional plastisol layer, which penetrates over a minor part the thickness of the textile structure and which, after gelling, bonds the textile to the thermoplastic substrate back surface.
In EP 1 360 366, the textile structure at the back surface of the floor covering creates a large specific surface area on this back surface which is designed to be in contact with the floor. When applying the floor covering of EP 1 360 366 to a floor surface, this large specific surface area requires a higher amount of adhesive to ensure a durable bond between floor covering and floor surface, when compared to a covering with a lower specific surface area, approaching a smooth surface. Besides, the addition of an additional layer to the floor covering of EP 1 360 366 would improve the rigidity or stiffness of such a covering.
Floor coverings as described in EP 1 360 366 are typically provided in rolls. These rolls can contain substantial amounts of a floor covering, resulting in heavy rolls. Such heavy rolls are not easy to handle. In this respect, the production of plastic floor or surface coverings with modular dimensions is of interest, as this can result in a lower weight product which is easier to handle. Furthermore, such coverings will cause less product loss on installation of the coverings, which is ecologically beneficial. Besides, such coverings with modular dimensions can provide a more natural look, as repetitions in design are interrupted at level of the places where individual coverings meet. Besides, providing a bevel on edges of the coverings can further improve the natural look.
Punching out panels out of a covering and afterwards providing each panel separately with a bevel is known. The major disadvantages of punching are the high investment cost for the punching machine, the lack of flexibility since each format requires an appropriate cutting tool, and the difficulty for getting clean cuts in the corner of the panel. For beveled products, a supplementary operation is needed in order to bevel both long sides and short sides
There remains a need in the art for an improved plastic surface covering which has a sufficient stiffness and can be applied efficiently and economically to a surface, such as, for example, a floor, wall or ceiling.
The present invention aims to resolve at least some of the problems mentioned above.